Italy, draw in extremis with Croatia: they go to the round of 16 against Switzerland

Leipzig - We're going to Berlin! Certainly with less emphasis than last time, in 2006. M Azzurra takes the road to the German capital this time too. And it does so - let it be said clearly - with full merit, beyond the draw found only in the 98th minute with Mattia Zaccagni's right-footed shot. Fear, suffering, lucidity, will, technique, desperation, madness, courage: Italy put everything into it, here at the Red Bull Arena, to deserve the trip to Berlin on 29 June against Switzerland. It is only a round of 16, but for this Italy it is worth a lot, and you never know if it is not a new beginning, a new journey. Because this group is there, the locker room-ct axis is strong, and now without monkeys on their shoulders they could explore as yet unknown limits.

Yes, they had really told each other everything, Luciano Spalletti and his boys, after the traumatic knockout against Spain. Had there not been a frank exchange, harsh even, but also sincere, the anti-Croatia line-up would not in fact have taken that unexpected, unforeseen and unpredictable shape. Here it is, the 3-man defence with Bastoni-Calafiori-Darmian; here is the revived Di Marco (recovered at the last minute), here is Di Lorenzo and Jorginho again, then Pellegrini with Barella and Jorginho, and also the two forwards, Retegui and Raspadori (instead of Chiesa), with the task of dialoguing and finding openings towards Livakovic's goal. A revolution through which the coach casts off the role of football maestro (whoever tried it before him, the good Ventura, didn't like it...) and really wears the role of technical commissioner, a great mediator between different personalities and ideas of football. We leave a philosophy to look for a team. Let us hope to find it on the night of Leipzig, surrounded by the red and white bedlam wearing basketball vests with the name of the late Drazen Petrovic and the small caps of the footballers (just to remind us who we are going to face...).

Three minutes and we didn't touch the ball, and on the fourth Susic's left-footed shot warmed the gloves of an already-ready Donnarumma. The 3-man defence soon became 5-man, and we were unable to gain metres and the ball, except for a couple of spurts on the right by Calafiori and Di Lorenzo. This time, however, we managed to keep a cool head, thanks in part to the Croatians' more composed pace compared to that of the Spaniards. Retegui dictated the depth, fought and won corners, then in the 27th minute Barella found Bastoni's header in the middle of the area: it looked like a repeat of the goal against Albania, but this time the miracle was painted by Livakovic, who saved for a corner. All this while the atmosphere in the stands was heating up, and the Croatian fans were throwing more objects towards the pitch.

A diagonal left-footer from Pellegrini in the 35th minute confirmed that we were back on the bubble, and everyone brought their own brick to the cause: Jorginho cleaned up the ball in the dribble and orchestrated the pressing in the three-quarter, behind soldier Darmian and valuable back-up to Bastoni and Calafiori: Raspadori was rarely seen, but his technical neatness was useful nonetheless. Now it was the Croatian midfield that struggled to find us, even if the risk was to lower the pace too much, which would immediately put people like Modric and Brozovic back into the game... The nil-nil at the end of the first half reflected what was seen on the Red Bull Arena turf.

Frattesi for Pellegrini, Budimir for Pasalic. The first changes at half-time gave the impression that the time of the foil (there never was one...) was over, and that of the clubs and shovels began. But barely two minutes passed and a Kramaric shot crossed Frattesi's own left arm: Makkelie reviewed the Var and awarded the right penalty. And one minute it's hell, heaven and more hell: Donnarumma enchants Modric from the penalty spot, but after a handful of seconds Budimir touches under the goal, Gigio rejects again, this time on the feet of Modric who takes the sweetest of revenge. One-nil to them, but it is angering to have wasted two more miracles by our captain in this way. Spalletti changes immediately: in goes Chiesa, out goes Di Marco. We are higher now, again Bastoni deflects over the crossbar on a corner kicked by the Juventino, then Stanisic closes in on Darmian. We play in their three-quarter, but this blessed goal doesn't come. Spalletti signals the onslaught with Scamacca for Raspadori, but it's Bastoni who saves on Budimir inspired by a Brozovic cross.